In order to observe, inspect and record an image of the inside of a cavity or opening of a living body or machinery, a fiberoptic endoscope was used heretofore of the type having in its imaging system an image transmitting fiber bundle for transmitting an image of the inside of an object. The image thus transmitted is observed through an eyepiece or photographed by a camera.
Thanks to recent progress in semiconductor technology, there have been developed video endoscopes of the type having in their imaging system a solid state imaging device, such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) and an MOS image sensor, which accepts an optical image of an object and converts it into electrical signals, which in turn are transmitted to a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display to be visualized thereon and/or recorded on a video tape. Such video endoscopes are described for example in Japanese Pat. Application No. 238971/1983, and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 194969/1983, and filed Dec. 20, 1983. Such video endoscope systems make possible the monitoring on a CRT of a television picture of an object by a number of persons or surgical operators simultaneously or the recordation of pictures of affected parts or the like, thereby to achieve a rapid and correct diagnosis.
However there has been in such video endoscope systems an operational difficulty, namely, that the operator of the video endoscope is usually remote from the CRT monitor and any recording equipment, each having an activation switch provided therein. This requires communication between the operator of the endoscope and the operator or operators of the CRT monitor, the recording equipment and the like; and in the event of less than optimum communication, it may take a long time to make an inspection, diagnosis or judgment and in some cases an erroneous diagnosis or misjudgment may result.